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Chai Tea: Ingredients and Recipe for the Spiced Tea

Chai tea originally comes from India and is called Chai Masala there. Due to its unmistakably spicy aroma, it is now also very popular with us. We’ll show you how to make your own spiced tea blend.

Chai is derived from the North Chinese language and the word “Cha”, which simply means tea. Tea, like the word, found its way to the rest of the world via the Silk Road. To this day, tea is referred to as cay or chai in many places around the world. Strictly speaking, chai tea means nothing more than tea tea.

Today, chai tea is a popular spice tea from India. There the spiced tea is called Chai Masala. The delicious tea originated from Ayurvedic nutrition.

Chai tea: The spices have this effect

There is no single recipe for chai masala. Often, family recipes have been passed down through generations. That’s why chai tea always tastes a little different. The spicy tea is said to have a digestive effect. In addition, the caffeine and spices it contains should be stimulating instead of exciting.

Chai masala is always brewed with fresh spices, while chai latte, a Western invention, is often made with syrup. The following ingredients are found in most chai tea blends:

Ginger: The root gives the tea a certain spiciness. It has an antibacterial effect and stimulates the production of digestive juices. Ginger is also said to help with nausea.
Cloves: Cloves also have an antibacterial effect and are rich in antioxidants. In addition to cinnamon, they provide the tea with a Christmassy taste.
Cardamom: Cardamom gives an unmistakably sweet note. The capsule is also said to have a digestive and calming effect on the stomach.
Black pepper: The piperine it contains has numerous positive effects on our health. It has an anti-inflammatory and expectorant effect. In terms of taste, pepper intensifies the spiciness of the tea.
Cinnamon: In addition to the uniquely sweet taste, cinnamon is also very healthy. The spice stimulates intestinal activity and prevents flatulence. It is also said to help lower cholesterol levels.
Fennel seeds: Fennel also has a positive effect on digestion. The seeds stimulate the appetite and stimulate bowel movements while preventing flatulence.
Anise: The seeds are said to have an expectorant and antispasmodic effect. In terms of taste, anise rounds off the spiced tea well with its sweetish-tart note.
Black Tea: Adding black tea leaves to chai tea is optional. Chai is often prepared with Assam tea. The tea leaves contain caffeine and are responsible for the stimulating effect.

Ingredients for your chai tea

Chai Masala is a perfect drink for cold days as the spiciness warms up your body from the inside. You can also easily make the tea yourself and do not have to resort to overpriced products from the tea house or syrup with unnecessary additives.

When buying spices and tea, it is particularly important to rely on organic quality. This avoids pollution from pesticides. When it comes to black tea, also look out for the Fairtrade seal. This guarantees you fair trade, from which the workers on the tea plantations also benefit.

The classic Indian chai tea has a very intense taste. That is why it is often prepared with milk. With regional plant milk, such as oat milk, you can easily conjure up a vegan version.

There are also countless options for sweetening your chai tea. Honey or coconut blossom syrup round off the flavor of the tea particularly well, but brown sugar is also a good choice.

If you like it spicy and a little hotter, you can of course also drink Chai tea pure.

Ingredients for about a liter of chai:

1 stick of cinnamon
5 capsules of cardamom
4 cloves
2 teaspoons aniseed
1 tbsp fennel seeds
2 tsp finely chopped ginger root
3 tbsp organic black tea (alternatively 3 tea bags)
sweetener of your choice
optional milk of your choice

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Cooking Tips

Chai Tea – The Aromatic Drink From India

There are many variations of chai tea. It is always aromatic and very tasty. But how is it properly prepared? Learn more here.

Chai Tea – Indian specialty

Chai tea has been a classic drink in India for centuries. The aromatic tea with milk is served here for all occasions. Meanwhile, the rest of the world enjoys this tasty hot drink. There are always new variations, and chai tea is an integral part of any beverage list. But what makes Indian Chai tea so special?

Masala Chai – what’s in it?

In its pure form, chai tea is black tea that is refined with a blend of spices. It is therefore a spice tea. The term Chai Tea is a Western interpretation of the name. The term Cha originally comes from North Chinese and means tea. At that time it was spread along the most important trade route, the Silk Road. In this way, the original term cha became the word chai (pronounced chai) or cay.

Chai also stands for tea in India. The tea is therefore also correctly called Masala Chai. Because masala means “mixture” in the Hindu language. The spice mixture is not clearly defined. Cloves, cumin and other spices find their way into the mix. The following flavor carriers are used particularly frequently:
cardamom
blackberry leaves
Cinammon
star anise
cloves
Ginger
The tea mixture should be stored in an airtight container. Otherwise, some of the spices will quickly lose their fine aroma and the tea will then no longer have the typical spicy taste.

Enjoy modern interpretations of chai tea

In India, chai tea is almost always made from black tea. However, the constantly growing tea culture outside the country is happy to experiment with taste. So today there are a variety of interesting tea blends. Green tea, black tea, rooibos tea and tea blends from different varieties add variety to the teacups. Since the black tea blends are often very tart in the base note, these variants are very well suited to switching from a strong spiciness to a slightly milder taste.
Chai tea with rooibos is a good alternative for people who want to enjoy tea in the evening or are sensitive to caffeine. For those who like it really exotic, there are seasoning mixes with fruit or aromatic vanilla. A dash of milk is a must if you want to enjoy Chai tea in the traditional way. There are a number of variations of this today. With the help of fluffy milk foam, the classic drink becomes the popular Chai Tea Latte.

Observe the correct brewing time

The brewing time of the chai tea is determined by the base mixture. Green tea has a different brewing time than black tea. Especially with these two types of tea you should keep an eye on the brewing time. If this is too long, the tea can taste bitter very quickly. Rooibos tea tastes perfect after about five minutes, but can steep longer if necessary without an unpleasant taste developing. When buying chai teas, be sure to pay attention to the information on the brewing time. Just try a little with your own mixtures.
The tea can also be refined with various flavors in the form of syrup or special milk. Almond milk and coconut milk are popular additions among vegans. A dash of vanilla flavor turns the tea into a whole new drink. A good balance between sweet and tart is the best basis.

Enjoy chai tea at any time of the day

A black tea-based chai tea is a great morning pick-me-up. A chai tea with a herbal tea base helps to relax and switch off after a long day. If you want to recharge your batteries, you can use a green chai tea with lemon extract. The varied chai tea or latte is therefore always a good choice.

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Cooking Tips

How do You Make Traditional Masala Chai?

Masala Chai is a mixed drink originally from the Asian area. The Indian word “Masala” can be roughly translated with “spice mixture”, with the “chai” being derived from the Chinese word “Chá” for tea. Masala Chai consists of black tea, sugar or honey, milk and a special spice mixture and is particularly popular because of its stimulating effect. Chai is a good alternative for latte macchiato lovers.

Masala Chai – a special kind of tea drink
Masala Chai is the national drink in India and is also celebrating its trendy in Europe as a trend drink. In addition to self -preparation, the acquisition of tea bags in tea shops and coffee shops, Masala Chai can now also be obtained as a capsule for the Nespresso coffee machines.

Masala Chai – a drink with many recipes

The classic ingredients for the Masala Chai include a strong black tea, which is often brewed from a strong assam, as well as milk, sugar or other sweeteners. However, the special aroma is awarded to the Masala Chai by the spice mix that varies from family to family in India. Traditional spices for the Masala Chai are cloves, cardamom, anise, fennel seeds, cinnamon and ginger that can be found in almost every recipe variation. The spices used, especially as a stimulating mode of action, develop. Cardamom in particular should have a positive effect on life energy and digestion after teaching.

The fact that almost every family has handed over their own recipe for the Masala Chai, peppercorns, Indian laurel leaves and nutmeg can also be considered as seasoning ingredients. Instead of sugar, honey is also used as a sweetener depending on the region and taste.

Traditional preparation of the Masala Chai

For the preparation of a Masala chai, the water is boiled with the milk, sugar or honey and spices. The tea leaves are only added after a cooking time of about a minute. After a drawing time of at least ten minutes, the Masala Chai is piled up and served through a sieve. Here is the recipe:

3/4 cup of water
2-4 green cardamom capsules to smash (comes from the ginger family family)
1-2 thin slices of fresh ginger
4 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
A pinch of anis
3/4 cup of milk
1 teaspoon black tea leaves
Sugar or honey to sweeten

However, before the Masala Chai is drunk in India, he receives its typical creamy consistency by creating several times with a trowel and the foaming. As a rule, you let it pull around 5 minutes in total. Furthermore, tea is generally poured in India from the cup to the saucer to cool and drink the drink. Tip for summer: prepare in large quantities and enjoy it cold.

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